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Worms beaten back in the battle for the banana

By Andy Coghlan

PITY the banana no more. Just weeks after New Scientist broke the news that disease could kill off the world’s most popular fruit, researchers revealed they have genetically engineered the East African cooking banana, or matooke, to resist nematode pests.

The ubiquitous Cavendish banana and its tropical cousin, the plantain, have already been modified. But the success with the matooke may be a vital step in saving the yellow fruit. Cooking bananas are a staple crop across East Africa, grown by millions of subsistence farmers, and the new nematode-resistant variety could dramatically raise yields.